It is a false belief: food is not the only factor to analyze whether it increases your insulin or blood sugar (glucose) levels.
Although it is hard to believe, spending nights of “bad sleep” has a lot to do with that glucose “shot.”
That is to say… it may be the case that this alteration in sugar levels is not due to the fact of eating poorly, but rather due to not sleeping enough.
This is how it details the nutritionist Adriana Pinillos, diabetes specialist.
What does a bad dream do to your health?
Pinillos says that a scientific experiment found a link between bad sleep and elevated blood glucose.
Photo: Freepik/wayhomestudio
The hormone cortisol is a glucocorticoid, that means it adds sugar to the blood, explains the nutritionist.
Pinillos emphasizes: Lack of sleep alters the hormonal balance of cortisol, even with a healthy diet and physical activity.
Remember that cortisol is high when you wake up every morning and as the hours go by it goes down a little.
The research he refers to “shows that when healthy people do not get enough sleep, they sleep about 4 hours a night, two nights in a row, cortisol before you wake up rises by 20% and remains elevated throughout the course of the day.” of the day, by 50%.”
For Pinillos, that makes a lot of sense, because when you don’t sleep well your body will try to produce energy in any way.
But… of course, you are tired and cortisol -remembers the specialist- adds sugar to the blood to give you energy.
Elevation of cortisol throughout the day will also result in reduced insulin sensitivity.
In the photo is the origin of most modern “diseases”: ☠️☠️
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to metabolize glucose, it is always produced in small quantities and its elevation with real food is discreet and controlled, however with food… pic.twitter.com/0ZUiJ0SPiJ
— endocrinorosero (@endocrinorosero) February 2, 2024
Nutritionist Adriana Pinillos explains that insulin “is the complete opposite.” In fact, “it draws sugar out of your blood and we definitely become more resistant to insulin when we sleep poorly.”
The specialist emphasizes that lack of sleep alone can make you naturally resistant to insulin and then as you try to eat more that day, you will have to produce more insulin.
What should you do
The nutritionist offers 5 recommendations to improve insulin sensitivity through sleep.
Photo: Freepik
- Avoid screens before bed, both television and cell phone.
- Practice deep breathing before bed and throughout the day.
- Set a time for you to go to sleep and stick to it.
- Pay attention to the quality and duration of your sleep, because that will have an impact on your bloodstream.
- Darken your room as much as possible to facilitate deep sleep. (I)
